Wilson making most of his Shrine experience

DOVER — For former Dover High School football player Eric Wilson, this summer has been a dream come true in terms of preparing to play college football at Saint Anselm.

But it almost didn’t happen.

Wilson was a last-minute addition to the New Hampshire roster for today’s Shrine Maple Sugar Bowl, but he’s made the most of his week of training camp, just as he did for the CHaD East-West New Hampshire High School All-Star Game in June.

“It’s been great prep,” said Wilson, who will be the only Dover representative on the field tonight (5:30 p.m.) when New Hampshire takes on Vermont at Dartmouth College’s Memorial Field. “All summer long I’ve been practicing in stages. CHaD was a once-a-day practice, now it’s three a day. At Saint A’s, it will be 24/7.

“This is what every player would want going into college, the opportunity to play,” Wilson added.

As a tight end, Wilson caught seven passes for 142 yards and a pair of touchdowns last season for the Green Wave. He was a D-II all-state selection as a linebacker with 100 tackles, 9.5 for a loss, two passes knocked down, two fumble recoveries and 2.5 sacks.

“Just a smart kid and he works hard,” said Green Wave coach Ken Osbon. “A physical kid. He’s mature for his age. He fit into our system well. A team player. “

He was selected to Foster’s Daily Democrat’s Dream Team as a first-team honoree, and represented the East team at the CHaD game in a 13-7 overtime loss to the West at the University of New Hampshire’s Cowell Stadium on June 29.

During the week leading up to the CHaD game, Wilson was a little miffed he hadn’t been selected to the New Hampshire Shrine team, but he got the well-deserved call last week just in time to start training camp at Castleton State College in Vermont.

“It was a little bit of a surprise,” Wilson said. “Definitely it was the last minute, literally three days before we had to report to camp. I was excited, of course.”

He got to know some of his Shrine Bowl teammates at the CHaD game, and has made new friends among those who played for the West team, including fellow Saint Anselm recruit Dylan Drew of Lebanon.

“I’ve been playing against these guys for so long,” Wilson said. “Through CHaD we got to know each other, but now it’s 10 times more. It’s more of a family here. We do the 5-in-the-morning runs. We’re building a huge bond and good friendships out of this.”

It’s all to prepare for a football game and to raise money for the Shriners Hospitals for Children. Wilson said he was deeply moved when he and his fellow teammates took a day off from camp earlier this week to visit the Shriners facility in Springfield, Mass.

“Let me tell you, that was something,” Wilson said. “When you’re at the hospital, you see what we’re playing for. It was really eye-opening to see what these kids are going through in their lives. You understand how blessed you are. It makes all our problems seem small. I don’t want to go into specifics, but it was a lot to process.

“It makes everything so much easier, going through these practices,” Wilson added. “Some of these kids will never do what we’re doing.”

Wilson was listed as a starter at fullback for today’s game. New Hampshire holds a 44-13-2 edge in the series, with the Granite State riding a 12-game winning streak.

“I’m excited to play another game,” Wilson said. “Playing with these guys after practicing for a week, we’re excited to see it come together against a real opponent. I hope we have a good game, we have a good rhythm going.”

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Rounding out the area participants in today’s game are Portsmouth’s Ricky Holt, who will start at defensive tackle, and Kurtis Leonard, New Hampshire’s starting center. Both were D-III first-team all-state selections.

Holt is the second generation of his family to play in the Shrine Bowl. His father, Rick, played in the game in 1982. Also college-football bound, Holt will start training camp at UNH on Aug. 9.

“I know it’s going to be the last high school game I ever play,” Holt told the Portsmouth Herald. “I always remember when my dad (Dick Holt) played the Shrine game in ‘82. He told me it was one of the best moments of his life.”